Flash
by HopelessOwls
Summary: Zuko and Katara spar, and Katara reveals more than she meant to show. Oneshot/Drabble.


**A/N: Just really wanted to show some pre-Zutara awkwardness. Hope you like it and please review!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender**

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"Come on, Katara."

"Zuko, I am busy," Katara told him, rolling her eyes and narrowing her focus on the scroll in front of her and not the Fire Lord sitting next to her.

"Please."

"Why? Can't you go train with someone else?"

"No. None of them are as good as you."

Katara narrowed her eyes at him, her round cheeks dusted pink. "Zuko, I'm busy. Maybe some other time."

"Busy with what?" Zuko asked, single eyebrow raised.

"Busy with…things."

"Things," Zuko repeated, deadpan.

"Yes, very important things. Now stop bothering me."

"Please spar with me," Zuko asked again, allowing a whine to come into his voice. Katara almost laughed at the pleading look on his face, the cute was he sucked in his bottom lip.

"Don't you have something to do? Other than bother me?"

"I could be sparring with you right now, if you weren't so scared of losing."

"I am not scared!" Katara told him hotly. She glared at his smug look and crossed her arms under her breasts, perfectly aware that he was just trying to get a rise out of her.

"Prove it," he smirked at her.

Katara scowled. "Can't you go practice with Aang or Toph?"

"Like I said before, neither of them are as good as you," Zuko shrugged.

"Aang is the Avatar. I'm sure he can give you a challenge."

"He's not as creative as you are. Now, will you stop stalling and come spar with me?"

"I am not stalling!"

"Come on, Katara. Please."

"If I practice with you, will you stop bothering me?" Katara asked, slumping down in her chair.

"Yes," Zuko said. Katara rolled her eyes; she knew he was lying.

"Fine," Katara said, resigned. "I'll be out there in ten minutes. Try not to burn anything down before I get there."

Zuko grinned. He stood up and strode out of the room, softly closing the door behind him.

Katara shook her head and stood up, pushing the scroll she had wanted to read away from her. She walked to her wardrobe and grabbed some clothes to change into.

Ten minutes later, Zuko and Katara were standing on opposite sides of the practice arena. No one else was there. Since Zuko became Fire Lord, many of the palace's residents liked to watch him practice. Zuko never seemed to mind, but Katara hated it when people she didn't know watched her spar with Zuko. Especially when they all wanted her to lose.

"You're already cheating," Zuko called to her.

"How?"

"That outfit is very distracting."

Katara glanced down at herself, at the dark blue bindings around her chest and her short skirt, and blushed; she wasn't used to Zuko saying things like that. "If it's so distracting, don't look at it," she yelled to him.

Zuko grumbled something under his breath that Katara couldn't hear and took a defensive position. Katara copied him, watching his movements. He had no right to talk about distracting people, she decided. Zuko was wearing what he usually did to practice; loose red pants and no shirt. It used to not faze Katara in the slightest to see Zuko half-naked, but that was back when he was an awkward and scrawny teenager. He had filled out a lot as he grew out of adolescence, his shoulders broadening and his chest and arms becoming hard and sculpted with muscle.

Katara snapped out of it and waited for Zuko to make the first move. After a second, he punched a fireball at her. Katara dodged it easily. That was usually how sparring with him went; they started out easy and ended up trying to kill each other.

Katara pulled on the water from the barrels in the arena and sent ice discs at Zuko's head. He melted them with a burst of orange flames, before blasting a long jet of fire at Katara.

Katara threw a wall of ice in front of her and created two water whips. She slashed at Zuko's feet, making him jump back to avoid having his legs pulled out from under him. He threw balls of fire at her, faster than he should have been able to while hopping up and down and trying not to fall over. Katara laughed at his idiotic movements and he glowered at her.

As the fight went on, their attacks got stronger and stronger, each of their competitive natures coming to light, each trying to gain the advantage. Their skill was almost equally matched; Zuko was slightly stronger than Katara and had more stamina but Katara was faster than Zuko. To an outsider looking in on the fight, it probably would've looked like they were actually trying to hurt each other, with Katara's ice pointed water whips slashing inches from Zuko's throat and Zuko's flames searing past her, almost close enough to singe her hair.

Zuko swerved to the side to avoid having an ice dagger impale his chest and kicked twin jets of flame at her. As Katara knocked them away with ice covered arms, Zuko advanced on her, flames sparking from the soles of his feet with every step.

Katara backed away, sending balls of ice at him to counter his attacks. She saw Zuko grin as he sent a fire whip her way. Katara jumped back, but not far enough. The fire danced at her chest, not close enough to hurt her, but close enough for the fire to burn through her wrappings.

Katara clutched the loose fabric to her chest, and glared at Zuko. "You better have not done that on purpose," she growled at him.

Zuko let his whips fall and raised his hands in a defensive way, eyes wide and almost fearful. "I swear, Katara, I didn't!"

"Good, but I'm still gonna kick your ass!" Katara yelled, using one hand to throw all the water from the barrels at him in a wave.

Zuko created a wall of fire to block it, but Katara was faster. She dropped the wave and snaked ropes of water around his wall. She wrapped them around his legs and froze it, the ice trapping him to the sandy ground of the arena. Zuko growled, fire sparking in his palms. Before he could free himself, Katara blasted a sheet of water at him.

Zuko threw his hands up to shield him face from the spray. Katara lunged at him while he was distracted and knocked him to the ground, the ice on his legs shattering.

Zuko's golden eyes widened as their practice session turned into an undignified wrestling match, sand flying around them and catching in their hair. They each fought for control, trying to pin the other down. Zuko was bigger than Katara and had the advantage, but Katara was fast and kept squirming out of his grasp.

Eventually, Zuko managed to hold her down. He pressed his chest to hers and held her wrists above her head. Katara fought against him, but stopped when she realized she was getting nowhere. She scowled at his smirk.

"What was that about kicking my ass?" he asked smugly, his golden eyes sparkling with mischief.

"You just wait, Sparky. I'll get you back," Katara growled at him, trying to tug her hands free.

"You wish," he laughed. Katara could feel the rumble of his laugher in her chest and suddenly realized how close they were. Zuko's legs were tangled with hers and his face was so close she could feel his breath fanning across her cheek. Heat rose to her cheeks.

Zuko seemed to realize it too. His laugher stopped and he pulled back hastily, kneeling in front of her and avoiding her eyes. Katara sat up and brushed sand from her hair, glaring at him even though he wasn't looking at her still.

Katara huffed. "We're having a rematch tomorrow."

"I thought you didn't want to spar with me?" Zuko teased, looking back at her.

"Well, now I do. You cheated."

"I did not," Zuko rolled his eyes. His eyes flicked down and widened. He flushed almost purple and snapped his gaze away. "Uh, Katara…? Your, uh…."

Katara blinked in confusion before looking down at herself. She shrieked when she saw what she had forgotten; the burned wrappings covering her breasts had unraveled, only a couple strands of fabric hanging loosely over her chest, covering _nothing_. Katara clawed at the fabric, unsuccessfully trying to push it back into place. Blushing furiously, Katara wrapped her arms tightly around herself, so grateful their sparring match didn't have an audience.

She glared at Zuko, who was staring very avidly at his fingernails, half turned away from her. Katara scowled, trying to cover her own blush and failing completely. "I am going to _kill_ you."

Zuko chuckled weakly and Katara splashed water in his face.


End file.
